I wish more punishments were in the form of "Go build this specific infrastructure" rather than the slap on the wrist minimal fine most companies face. Whats a couple million to VW? This on the other hand has an immediate positive affect, incentivises electric car ownership and forces VW into actually being competitive.

I wish more punishments were in the form of "Go build this specific infrastructure" rather than the slap on the wrist minimal fine most companies face. Whats a couple million to VW? This on the other hand has an immediate positive affect, incentivises electric car ownership and forces VW into actually being competitive.

Please check your facts.It wasn't a couple of million.

It was $4.3 billion in fine alone.Plus... I don't know how much more in fixing cars, re-buying cars, electric vehicle investments, etc.

It is worth noting that most Teslas will be able to use most Electrify America locations. There is some nuance there with adapters, charge rates, and plug types. But these stations will be able to support most Teslas as well.

I wish more punishments were in the form of "Go build this specific infrastructure" rather than the slap on the wrist minimal fine most companies face. Whats a couple million to VW? This on the other hand has an immediate positive affect, incentivises electric car ownership and forces VW into actually being competitive.

Please check your facts.It wasn't a couple of million.

It was $4.3 billion in fine alone.Plus... I don't know how much more in fixing cars, re-buying cars, electric vehicle investments, etc.

I know in this case it was a few billion which definitely hurt them in the coffers. But what I'm referring to is by and large the small few million here and there most other companies get fined for egregious behavior. Instead of making comcast pay $1 million, why not force them to build rural broadband within a specific time period for example.

It is worth noting that most Teslas will be able to use most Electrify America locations. There is some nuance there with adapters, charge rates, and plug types. But these stations will be able to support most Teslas as well.

That's what makes the supercharger network so enticing. Tesla users can use the extensive supercharger infrastructure Tesla has built worldwide or any other charging network wherever they go. But if you own a Nissan leaf, the opposite isn't true.

I wish more punishments were in the form of "Go build this specific infrastructure" rather than the slap on the wrist minimal fine most companies face. Whats a couple million to VW? This on the other hand has an immediate positive affect, incentivises electric car ownership and forces VW into actually being competitive.

Please check your facts.It wasn't a couple of million.

It was $4.3 billion in fine alone.Plus... I don't know how much more in fixing cars, re-buying cars, electric vehicle investments, etc.

I know in this case it was a few billion which definitely hurt them in the coffers. But what I'm referring to is by and large the small few million here and there most other companies get fined for egregious behavior. Instead of making compact pay $1 million, why not force them to build rural broadband within a specific time period for example.

Because there are too many ways that could devolve into less than a slap in the wrist.

Eg, consider BadCompany® has looked into investing 100 million in rural broadband and, internally, decided to do it.But before those plans are set in motion, they're caught doing SomethingBad™ and the Government forces them to invest in rural broadband.They'll just grab their plans from the drawer and do it, without losing a cent.

No the Government needs to take their cash away. And then, if the Government cares about rural broadband, it can use those 100 million to open a bid for rural broadband build up.

It is worth noting that most Teslas will be able to use most Electrify America locations. There is some nuance there with adapters, charge rates, and plug types. But these stations will be able to support most Teslas as well.

That's what makes the supercharger network so enticing. Tesla users can use the extensive supercharger infrastructure Tesla has built worldwide or any other charging network wherever they go. But if you own a Nissan leaf, the opposite isn't true.

oddly enough tesla has offered access, but other manufacturers don't seem to want it.either they don't want to admit tesla's charging is a manjor benefit. Or Tesla is making some fairly outrageous demands. (they do seem to require mutual investment, but details are unknown)

honestly the supercharger network has such a lead right now, its hard to consider getting a non tesla EV if you plan as having it as your only car, and occasionaly drive far.not that its a problem in other EV's perse, but tesla just has a big ace in the hole (I say this as a chevrolet volt driver)

It is worth noting that most Teslas will be able to use most Electrify America locations. There is some nuance there with adapters, charge rates, and plug types. But these stations will be able to support most Teslas as well.

Note that currently Tesla's can only use these stations via the Chademo adapter, until Tesla makes a CCS type 1 adapter.This means lower rates (50 kW) and fewer stalls per Electrify America location (usually just one).

It's cool that they're doing this. But I can't help but think that the utility companies should be doing this at scale instead. Power distribution is their business after all.

The blunt instrument of simply raising prices during peak demands is working against environmental initiatives. In reality, green initiatives like EV charging facilities will be paying the cost of improving the resilience of the power grid, while the power-sucking air-conditioning get off the hook.

I think it should be the other way around. Green initiatives like EV chargers should be exempt from the price increase. Installing self-paid utility-scale batteries should be for the non-green power customers. And if that makes customers angry, solve the problem by demanding the utility companies install the batteries themselves, and incorporate the cost in normal operating costs.

It is worth noting that most Teslas will be able to use most Electrify America locations. There is some nuance there with adapters, charge rates, and plug types. But these stations will be able to support most Teslas as well.

Note that currently Tesla's can only use these stations via the Chademo adapter, until Tesla makes a CCS type 1 adapter.This means lower rates (50 kW) and fewer stalls per Electrify America location (usually just one).

Can't Tesla use AC charging up to 43 KW? If yes that's still way better than most alternatives and much easier to install.

It is worth noting that most Teslas will be able to use most Electrify America locations. There is some nuance there with adapters, charge rates, and plug types. But these stations will be able to support most Teslas as well.

Note that currently Tesla's can only use these stations via the Chademo adapter, until Tesla makes a CCS type 1 adapter.This means lower rates (50 kW) and fewer stalls per Electrify America location (usually just one).

Yeah. But Tesla did just announce a Euro (type 2? ) CCS adapter, that can charge up to around 120KW.

These can be good for local Tesla folks that cannot charge at home. But could charge at a grocery store or something like that each week that has an EA station nearby.

At one point, some EA stations were going to have J1772 plugs as well.

It is worth noting that most Teslas will be able to use most Electrify America locations. There is some nuance there with adapters, charge rates, and plug types. But these stations will be able to support most Teslas as well.

It is worth noting that most Teslas will be able to use most Electrify America locations. There is some nuance there with adapters, charge rates, and plug types. But these stations will be able to support most Teslas as well.

That's what makes the supercharger network so enticing. Tesla users can use the extensive supercharger infrastructure Tesla has built worldwide or any other charging network wherever they go. But if you own a Nissan leaf, the opposite isn't true.

oddly enough tesla has offered access, but other manufacturers don't seem to want it.either they don't want to admit tesla's charging is a manjor benefit. Or Tesla is making some fairly outrageous demands. (they do seem to require mutual investment, but details are unknown)

honestly the supercharger network has such a lead right now, its hard to consider getting a non tesla EV if you plan as having it as your only car, and occasionaly drive far.not that its a problem in other EV's perse, but tesla just has a big ace in the hole (I say this as a chevrolet volt driver)

It is worth noting that most Teslas will be able to use most Electrify America locations. There is some nuance there with adapters, charge rates, and plug types. But these stations will be able to support most Teslas as well.

Note that currently Tesla's can only use these stations via the Chademo adapter, until Tesla makes a CCS type 1 adapter.This means lower rates (50 kW) and fewer stalls per Electrify America location (usually just one).

Can't Tesla use AC charging up to 43 KW? If yes that's still way better than most alternatives and much easier to install.

No, it can't. Tesla's AC charge at 7.6 to 16 kW depending on the model. Older Model S could charge at 20 kW.Much less in North America where neither Tesla's nor J1772 allow for more than 19 kW.

43 kW AC charging is only available in 3-phase land and the only car which can do it are some versions of Renault Zoe.

It is worth noting that most Teslas will be able to use most Electrify America locations. There is some nuance there with adapters, charge rates, and plug types. But these stations will be able to support most Teslas as well.

If only Electric car manufacturers could agree on a plug standard...

They largely have CCS won. It will take some time but it has unstoppable inertia now. To be clear different regional standards don't really matter. If the plug is different in North America, Japan, and Europe is doesn't really matter because one rarely drives a car purchase in Europe on the roads in Japan.

Tesla including a CCS port on the Model 3 for Europe is an indication CCS won. I would expect eventually all Tesla superchargers will be both CCS and Tesla plugs and eventually (decade or more) the Tesla plug deprecated.

Man is the CCS connector a kludge compared to the Tesla connector but I am fairly certain it will win. Chademo might live on as a regional connector for Japan but eventually Nissan will adopt CCS for North American and US sales.

It is worth noting that most Teslas will be able to use most Electrify America locations. There is some nuance there with adapters, charge rates, and plug types. But these stations will be able to support most Teslas as well.

If only Electric car manufacturers could agree on a plug standard...

That image is downsized to the point of near-illegibility; but the left side appears to be a listing of standard general use plugs around the world. Supporting the basic wall plug of whatever country they're sold in as a fallback slow charging option is a de-facto requirement for usability; and the gaggle of plugs we've got around the world is no more the EV industries fault than the fact that we've been unable to standardize on a single voltage or frequency rate.

Yeah. But Tesla did just announce a Euro (type 2? ) CCS adapter, that can charge up to around 120KW.

These can be good for local Tesla folks that cannot charge at home. But could charge at a grocery store or something like that each week that has an EA station nearby.

But that's a CCS Type 2, not a CCS Type 1.In Europe, CCS Type 2 locations outnumber Tesla's by a factor 10:1. Mostly they're only single stall 50 kW stations but it's still a big convenience to be missed.Also, Europe/rest of the world Model 3 is CCS Type 2 and the other models will probably follow.

North America Tesla owners still lack a CCS Type 1 adapter. Nor sure how much those owners care though...

I wish more punishments were in the form of "Go build this specific infrastructure" rather than the slap on the wrist minimal fine most companies face. Whats a couple million to VW? This on the other hand has an immediate positive affect, incentivises electric car ownership and forces VW into actually being competitive.

Please check your facts.It wasn't a couple of million.

It was $4.3 billion in fine alone.Plus... I don't know how much more in fixing cars, re-buying cars, electric vehicle investments, etc.

I know in this case it was a few billion which definitely hurt them in the coffers. But what I'm referring to is by and large the small few million here and there most other companies get fined for egregious behavior. Instead of making comcast pay $1 million, why not force them to build rural broadband within a specific time period for example.

And it should specifically be open access fiber networks in the cases of Comcast Xfinity, AT&T, Charter Spectrum, Verizon, and CenturyLink, or any other ISP that does wrong.

North America Tesla owners still lack a CCS Type 1 adapter. Nor sure how much those owners care though...

I would like one ... eventually. Right now it is pretty academic as I have free grandfathered charging on supercharger network and the number of superchargers vastly outnumber the number of CCS stations. Add to that CCS charging could mean anything from 25 KW to 120 KW* but every supercharger charges my car at top speed.

It is worth noting that most Teslas will be able to use most Electrify America locations. There is some nuance there with adapters, charge rates, and plug types. But these stations will be able to support most Teslas as well.

If only Electric car manufacturers could agree on a plug standard...

That image is downsized to the point of near-illegibility; but the left side appears to be a listing of standard general use plugs around the world. Supporting the basic wall plug of whatever country they're sold in as a fallback slow charging option is a de-facto requirement for usability; and the gaggle of plugs we've got around the world is no more the EV industries fault than the fact that we've been unable to standardize on a single voltage or frequency rate.

It is worth noting that most Teslas will be able to use most Electrify America locations. There is some nuance there with adapters, charge rates, and plug types. But these stations will be able to support most Teslas as well.

That's what makes the supercharger network so enticing. Tesla users can use the extensive supercharger infrastructure Tesla has built worldwide or any other charging network wherever they go. But if you own a Nissan leaf, the opposite isn't true.

oddly enough tesla has offered access, but other manufacturers don't seem to want it.either they don't want to admit tesla's charging is a manjor benefit. Or Tesla is making some fairly outrageous demands. (they do seem to require mutual investment, but details are unknown)

honestly the supercharger network has such a lead right now, its hard to consider getting a non tesla EV if you plan as having it as your only car, and occasionaly drive far.not that its a problem in other EV's perse, but tesla just has a big ace in the hole (I say this as a chevrolet volt driver)

I don't recall any "outrageous demands" made by Tesla at all.

They gave away their patents for everyone to use.

Sounds pretty reasonable to me.

The patent story is nowhere near as clear and simple as that. If you accepted Tesla's offer and used their patents, you are also barred from enforcing your own IP:

First, the Pledge states that those acting in good faith will not assert any patent or intellectual property right against Tesla. Note that a company using Tesla's patented technology is not only giving up the ability to bring an action against Tesla for patent infringement, but any form of intellectual property infringement. This includes trademark and copyright infringement, as well as trade secret misappropriation. Thus, for example, if Tesla copied a company's source code line-for-line, that company would be required to forfeit the protection provided by the Pledge in order to enforce its rights.

Of potentially even greater consequence, the Pledge states that a company is not acting in good faith if it has asserted "any patent right against a third party for its use of technologies relating to electric vehicles or related equipment." Therefore, before using technology from a Tesla patent, a company must determine whether it is willing to agree not to assert its own patents against any company operating in the electric vehicle market anywhere in the world. This may be a trade-off that a company is willing to make, but it is not a decision that should be taken lightly. Among other implications, this decision may have a significant impact on the value that investors place on the company's IP. If competitors are able to use the patented technology of the company, it may be difficult to establish a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

No one would agree to those terms, which is why no one has taken Tesla up on that offer.

It is worth noting that most Teslas will be able to use most Electrify America locations. There is some nuance there with adapters, charge rates, and plug types. But these stations will be able to support most Teslas as well.

If only Electric car manufacturers could agree on a plug standard...

They largely have CCS won. It will take some time but it has unstoppable inertia now. To be clear different regional standards don't really matter. If the plug is different in North America, Japan, and Europe is doesn't really matter because one rarely drives a car purchase in Europe on the roads in Japan.

Tesla including a CCS port on the Model 3 for Europe is an indication CCS won. I would expect eventually all Tesla superchargers will be both CCS and Tesla plugs and eventually (decade or more) the Tesla plug deprecated.

Man is the CCS connector a kludge compared to the Tesla connector but I am fairly certain it will win. Chademo might live on as a regional connector for Japan but eventually Nissan will adopt CCS for North American and US sales.

Note:Tesla has never ever used the Tesla plug outside North America and Japan.Because the Tesla plug does not support 3 phase charging and this is an important feature in most of the world.

The solution that Tesla chose at the time was to take the AC Type 2 plug and dual purpose it for DC as well.But it was an obviously interim solution because that plug was not designed to carry that much power. So it was quite clear that outside North America and Japan, Tesla would eventually either go to CCS Type 2 or to whatever the local Government mandates (GB/T in China, eventually CCS Type 1 in South Korea).

I wish more punishments were in the form of "Go build this specific infrastructure" rather than the slap on the wrist minimal fine most companies face. Whats a couple million to VW? This on the other hand has an immediate positive affect, incentivises electric car ownership and forces VW into actually being competitive.

Please check your facts.It wasn't a couple of million.

It was $4.3 billion in fine alone.Plus... I don't know how much more in fixing cars, re-buying cars, electric vehicle investments, etc.

I know in this case it was a few billion which definitely hurt them in the coffers. But what I'm referring to is by and large the small few million here and there most other companies get fined for egregious behavior. Instead of making compact pay $1 million, why not force them to build rural broadband within a specific time period for example.

Because there are too many ways that could devolve into less than a slap in the wrist.

Eg, consider BadCompany® has looked into investing 100 million in rural broadband and, internally, decided to do it.But before those plans are set in motion, they're caught doing SomethingBad™ and the Government forces them to invest in rural broadband.They'll just grab their plans from the drawer and do it, without losing a cent.

No the Government needs to take their cash away. And then, if the Government cares about rural broadband, it can use those 100 million to open a bid for rural broadband build up.

Sounds like a bad way to give 25% of the fine into nothing.

Say the government fines 1 billion dollars and opens a RFQ for bidders to build something. Now the government has to manage it... so at least 10-20% of that 1 billion is now reserved for Government overhead and reserves to cover unforeseen conditions/change orders.

So the RFQ goes out as a job for 800 million.

Now the contractors don’t work for free. They will be carrying 15% overhead and profit. Meaning only $680 million actually get put to use.

It’s better to cut the middle man out of the picture to maximize how many dollars actually get put to work.

The solution that Tesla chose at the time was to take the AC Type 2 plug and dual purpose it for DC as well.But it was an obviously interim solution because that plug was not designed to carry that much power.

There is no reason the plug can't handle that much power. I mean Tesla has been doing 120 KW supercharging over the Type 2 connector in Europe and the even smaller Tesla connector in North America. The major difference is Tesla's method uses the same pins for AC and DC and requires some pretty hefty relays inside the car to switch those pins to either the AC or DC system depending on what type of charger is used. Nobody other than Tesla wants to do that. CCS uses a kludge combo connector with 2 extra pins for high power DC and Chademo uses a whole second connector.

That didn't matter as long as Tesla had the only significant charging network but it does mean Tesla's aren't able to use CCS charging networks without an adapter.

It is worth noting that most Teslas will be able to use most Electrify America locations. There is some nuance there with adapters, charge rates, and plug types. But these stations will be able to support most Teslas as well.

That's what makes the supercharger network so enticing. Tesla users can use the extensive supercharger infrastructure Tesla has built worldwide or any other charging network wherever they go. But if you own a Nissan leaf, the opposite isn't true.

The notion that there are chargers out there incompatible with all EV's (that is to say, other brands, if not actual vehicles) rather defies the whole "we want to save the planet" thinking behind EV's in the first place. ALL charging stations should charge ANY EV.

After all, if the Electrify America stations can charge any EV, why the hell can't Tesla's? Is that an auto-maker thing? Or a Tesla Supercharger thing?

It doesn't make any sense to try to sell EV's to a public that can't go to any available place to recharge if need be. I do not understand how the mentality that might think about being exclusive to some EV's out there is not being deliberately anti-competitive. I get that the market is new, and these things are still in flux, but Jesus, there should AT LEAST be an adapter or something people with EV's can get that can juice their cars from any charging station.

If that's not the case, then how the hell do auto makers expect to people to WANT to buy EV's at all? It's like Shell suddenly deciding to only fill up Fords because it has a square nozzle and Ford has a large square hole that can fit anything. But no other car does. I don't see that as being particularly good for Shell, TBH, nor for those who drive cars without the right hole to fill up, if a Shell station is the only thing they've got to work with.

The solution that Tesla chose at the time was to take the AC Type 2 plug and dual purpose it for DC as well.But it was an obviously interim solution because that plug was not designed to carry that much power.

There is no reason the plug can't handle that much power. The major difference is Tesla's method of using the same pins for AC and DC requires some pretty hefty relays inside the car to switch those pins to either the AC or DC system. Nobody other than Tesla wants to do that.

Err.. physics?When you want a plug for 300A or 500A you need to design it properly. The pins needs to provide good enough contact over the lifetime, you need to be able to properly connect the wires, need to have enough space for heat dissipation (or maybe liquid cooling).

Many moons ago, the designers of the AC Type 2 plug did envision the possibility of using it for DC as well.But they rated it for 140 A. Tesla is using it for over 300 A.

It is worth noting that most Teslas will be able to use most Electrify America locations. There is some nuance there with adapters, charge rates, and plug types. But these stations will be able to support most Teslas as well.

That's what makes the supercharger network so enticing. Tesla users can use the extensive supercharger infrastructure Tesla has built worldwide or any other charging network wherever they go. But if you own a Nissan leaf, the opposite isn't true.

The notion that there are chargers out there incompatible with all EV's (that is to say, other brands, if not actual vehicles) rather defies the whole "we want to save the planet" thinking behind EV's in the first place. ALL charging stations should charge ANY EV.

After all, if the Electrify America stations can charge any EV, why the hell can't Tesla's? Is that an auto-maker thing? Or a Tesla Supercharger thing?

It doesn't make any sense to try to sell EV's to a public that can't go to any available place to recharge if need be. I do not understand how the mentality that might think about being exclusive to some EV's out there is not being deliberately anti-competitive. I get that the market is new, and these things are still in flux, but Jesus, there should AT LEAST be an adapter or something people with EV's can get that can juice their cars from any charging station.

If that's not the case, then how the hell do auto makers expect to people to WANT to buy EV's at all? It's like Shell suddenly deciding to only fill up Fords because it has a square nozzle and Ford has a large square hole that can fit anything. But no other car does. I don't see that as being particularly good for Shell, TBH, nor for those who drive cars without the right hole to fill up, if a Shell station is the only thing they've got to work with.

Well to be clear Electrify America stations can't charge every BEV using Fast DC at least not without limitations. Electrify America primarily supports CCS and the chargers support up to 350 KW on CCS (some are 150 KW). However no CCS adapter yet exists. So right now to charge at >50 KW on an Electrify America charger would require a car with CCS connector (i.e. i-pace, mission e, etc).

As part of the deal with US govt Electrify America also partially supports Chademo but VW has made it clear this isn't a priority. Only one stall at each station supports chademo and it is limited to only 50 KW. They will never be upgraded. They are more a temporary measure until CCS takes over.

Right now most Tesla's can't charge using either CCS or Chademo. At one point Tesla sold a Chademo adapter but it has been out of stock for years now and my guess is >99% of vehicles don't have one. There is a CCS adapter planned for Europe but no such plans for the US yet.

The solution that Tesla chose at the time was to take the AC Type 2 plug and dual purpose it for DC as well.But it was an obviously interim solution because that plug was not designed to carry that much power.

There is no reason the plug can't handle that much power. The major difference is Tesla's method of using the same pins for AC and DC requires some pretty hefty relays inside the car to switch those pins to either the AC or DC system. Nobody other than Tesla wants to do that.

Err.. physics?When you want a plug for 300A or 500A you need to design it properly. The pins needs to provide good enough contact over the lifetime, you need to be able to properly connect the wires, need to have enough space for heat dissipation (or maybe liquid cooling).

The designers of the AC Type 2 plug did envision the possibility of using it for DC as well.But they rated it for 140 A. Tesla is using it for over 300 A.

So you are saying Tesla is using the connector unsafely? There is no possible way they could adapt the type 2 connector to support 300A. The Tesla connector isn't any larger and it also supports 300A. Is it also unsafe? Strange there have been no fires or deaths related to supercharger given physics "says" what Tesla is doing is impossible.

There is no compelling reason that the type 2 couldn't in an open standard support 300A+. The reality is those controlling the standard don't want to because it would require AC/DC switching inside the car and they have an alternative solution the kludgy combo connector.

Well you heard it misreported. They had reciprocity demands regarding patents, and most of the companies that might be interested had more valuable patents than Tesla did. If I offer that I will equally share 50$ with you if you equally share your 100$ with me, I don't think you would think it was a good deal.

It is worth noting that most Teslas will be able to use most Electrify America locations. There is some nuance there with adapters, charge rates, and plug types. But these stations will be able to support most Teslas as well.

If only Electric car manufacturers could agree on a plug standard...

That image is downsized to the point of near-illegibility; but the left side appears to be a listing of standard general use plugs around the world. Supporting the basic wall plug of whatever country they're sold in as a fallback slow charging option is a de-facto requirement for usability; and the gaggle of plugs we've got around the world is no more the EV industries fault than the fact that we've been unable to standardize on a single voltage or frequency rate.

IEC 60320 is arguably a global standard for AC connectors.

Yes... until you get to the other end of the cord

I had some 80s Sun computers whose power supplies had an IEC 60320 output, so with the right cable M-F cable (what would appear to be an extension cable for that specific plug) you could plug the monitor right into the computer and not need a second cord going to the wall.

I always thought that was a really cool idea, but it never seemed to catch on with PC PSUs.

It is worth noting that most Teslas will be able to use most Electrify America locations. There is some nuance there with adapters, charge rates, and plug types. But these stations will be able to support most Teslas as well.

If only Electric car manufacturers could agree on a plug standard...

That image is downsized to the point of near-illegibility; but the left side appears to be a listing of standard general use plugs around the world. Supporting the basic wall plug of whatever country they're sold in as a fallback slow charging option is a de-facto requirement for usability; and the gaggle of plugs we've got around the world is no more the EV industries fault than the fact that we've been unable to standardize on a single voltage or frequency rate.

IEC 60320 is arguably a global standard for AC connectors.

Yes... until you get to the other end of the cord

I had some 80s Sun computers whose power supplies had an IEC 60320 output, so with the right cable M-F cable (what would appear to be an extension cable for that specific plug) you could plug the monitor right into the computer and not need a second cord going to the wall.

I always thought that was a really cool idea, but it never seemed to catch on with PC PSUs.

There was really no need to add that extra cost to the PSU when power strips (even then) weren't very expensive.

Plus now, there quite a few people with more than 1 monitor on a system.

It is worth noting that most Teslas will be able to use most Electrify America locations. There is some nuance there with adapters, charge rates, and plug types. But these stations will be able to support most Teslas as well.

This is highly misleading. With an adapter a Tesla could use either CCS or Chademo but

a) the chademo adapter hasn't always been available. until recently it was out of stock for almost a year. Only a very small number of them sold.b) there is no CCS adapter. There is plans for one in Europe but not the US.c) Electrify America only has a single 50 KW Chademo stall at each site the rest are high powered CCS.

The overwhelming majority of Teslas on the road right now can't charge at electrify america.

It is worth noting that most Teslas will be able to use most Electrify America locations. There is some nuance there with adapters, charge rates, and plug types. But these stations will be able to support most Teslas as well.

That's what makes the supercharger network so enticing. Tesla users can use the extensive supercharger infrastructure Tesla has built worldwide or any other charging network wherever they go. But if you own a Nissan leaf, the opposite isn't true.

oddly enough tesla has offered access, but other manufacturers don't seem to want it.either they don't want to admit tesla's charging is a manjor benefit. Or Tesla is making some fairly outrageous demands. (they do seem to require mutual investment, but details are unknown)

honestly the supercharger network has such a lead right now, its hard to consider getting a non tesla EV if you plan as having it as your only car, and occasionaly drive far.not that its a problem in other EV's perse, but tesla just has a big ace in the hole (I say this as a chevrolet volt driver)

I don't recall any "outrageous demands" made by Tesla at all.

They gave away their patents for everyone to use.

Sounds pretty reasonable to me.

The patent story is nowhere near as clear and simple as that. If you accepted Tesla's offer and used their patents, you are also barred from enforcing your own IP:

First, the Pledge states that those acting in good faith will not assert any patent or intellectual property right against Tesla. Note that a company using Tesla's patented technology is not only giving up the ability to bring an action against Tesla for patent infringement, but any form of intellectual property infringement. This includes trademark and copyright infringement, as well as trade secret misappropriation. Thus, for example, if Tesla copied a company's source code line-for-line, that company would be required to forfeit the protection provided by the Pledge in order to enforce its rights.

Of potentially even greater consequence, the Pledge states that a company is not acting in good faith if it has asserted "any patent right against a third party for its use of technologies relating to electric vehicles or related equipment." Therefore, before using technology from a Tesla patent, a company must determine whether it is willing to agree not to assert its own patents against any company operating in the electric vehicle market anywhere in the world. This may be a trade-off that a company is willing to make, but it is not a decision that should be taken lightly. Among other implications, this decision may have a significant impact on the value that investors place on the company's IP. If competitors are able to use the patented technology of the company, it may be difficult to establish a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

No one would agree to those terms, which is why no one has taken Tesla up on that offer.

Yes, it might have been more attractive if the agreement was not to assert its own patents against any company using this agreement. E.g., if GM used Tesla IP, GM couldn't sue Tesla if Tesla used GM's IP. However, if Honda started using GM's IP without reciprocating, them GM could sue Honda. (Just like I'm sure Tesla would sue any carmaker for using the IP without reciprocating.)

It's a pleasure to drive too. But beware that it's closer to a GTD in performance. You can use the ICE and electric engine together for just above 200 HP but it's still a full second slower than your GTI.

You'll probably be ahead of the GTI in the 0-30 MPH range but after that the GTI will overtake you. In exchange you get roughly 30 miles of pure EV mode. So for short trips and perhaps your daily commute you can potentially save a lot of fuel.

Charging is slow, limited to 3,7 KW AC (or less using a normal power plug). You could benefit from a CCS charger but that's not the kind of thing you have at home as they're very expensive.

It is worth noting that most Teslas will be able to use most Electrify America locations. There is some nuance there with adapters, charge rates, and plug types. But these stations will be able to support most Teslas as well.

This is highly misleading. With an adapter a Tesla could use either CCS or Chademo but

a) the chademo adapter hasn't been available for years. Only a very small number of them sold.b) there is no CCS adapter. There is plans for one in Europe but not the US.

The overwhelming majority of Teslas on the road right now can't charge at electrify america.

No AC outlet? While not "supercharger level" I think 43 KW is still a lot better than home charging ...